Hydraulic systems which are subjected to fluid pressures are commonly subjected to leakage in the system, such as caused by the breakage of a connecting line or the like. When breakage occurs, the entire system can fail and the operator is left without control of the system since all of the fluid pressure can be lost or the system at least becomes ineffective.
The present invention provides a fluid system which is arranged to automatically respond to a breakage in a fluid line or to a leak in the system, and the system of this invention responds by automatically shutting off that portion, location, or branch of the system to avoid further leakage in the system and permit the remainder of the system to function in a safe manner.
Accordingly, the present invention provides for a self-actuating fluid holding system which automatically shuts off the flow of fluid to any portion of the system which may suffer a leak, such as a break in the line in the system at that location. Correspondingly, the system of this invention is arranged to permit the remainder of the system to function in a normal manner, while the leak or break remains in the other portion of the system, and thus there is a continuance of the operation of the system and the operator can therefore control the powered fluid motors or the like even during the time of the leak or break in the portion of the system.
In the specific embodiment for this invention, the system is arranged with two inter-connected fluid cylinder assemblies which will inherently lose their ability to perform their designated function in the event of a line failure and loss of fluid in a portion of the system. Also, the system shown herein utilizes two identical spool valves which sense the flow to each of the two cylinder assemblies, and in the event that the fluid flow to either of the two cylinder assemblies becomes sufficiently out of portion, such as when a line breaks or a leak occurs in the system, then the valve will close and avoid further leakage of fluid while the remainder of the system as it pertains to the two cylinder assemblies will continue to function.
Still further, a system of this invention can be arranged with a reactive switch and signal which responds in the event of a leak in the fluid pressure, and thus the operator is immediately informed as to the presence of the leak.
Other objects and advantages will become apparent upon reading the following description in light of the accompanying drawings.